Union County Roofers: Article About Seamless Gutters

Term courtesy of the roofers at Peter W Smith Construction, Union County NJ:Coil stock

This term refers to metal of any kind that comes in roll form as opposed to flat sheets. For gutters, widths of 11 and 15 inches form the majority of seamless gutters. Coils vary in length, but 150 feet is common since it is easier to handle. The thickness of the metal is another option.

The primary maintenance required is an occasional cleaning. For homes surrounded by trees, once a year should suffice, preferably in the fall after all the leaves have fallen. The biggest issue is that leaves and pine needles can block gutters at the most vulnerable spot, where the gutter joins the downspout. The elbow where the downspout returns to the side of the house can clog, causing water to lay in the gutter, where even corrosion resistant metals will eventually rust.

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A home's gutters serve a critical function, that of diverting the water collected by a roof during rain and snowstorms and preventing it from invading living areas or accumulating near the foundation, where it could flood basements. Not as glamorous as many home improvement projects, leaving aside gutter repairs can lead to further damage.

For many years after the introduction of aluminum gutters, 10 or 20 foot sections were the dominant choice. Apart from damage often incurred during transportation to job sites, the major flaw of sectional gutter systems occurred wherever the sections joined. Leaks eventually formed at the seams, despite the best efforts of the best installers.

Nowadays, Union County roofers can advise homeowners on the many available options and benefits of seamless gutter systems. Various materials form seamless gutters. Aluminum remains popular for its low weight and excellent corrosion resistance; this is true also of zinc. Galvanized sheet metal is popular where exceptional strength is required. Copper also finds uses in seamless systems where end caps and angle caps use soldered joints to eliminate potential leak sites.

Whatever metal is used comes to the site as coil stock, similar to a roll of paper towels.

Have a question regarding commercial roofing or gutters? Please ask the roofers from Peter W Smith Construction of Union County NJ today.

An extrusion machine pulls the metal through a series of rollers, bending the metal into the desired profile, or shape of the gutter. The "K" style, somewhat resembling the shape of the letter "K," represents the most popular profile, but "U" shaped gutters, reminiscent of earlier days, have regained some popularity with homes of certain styles. The length of the gutter depends on the length of the roof, and since the question of getting the gutters from a factory to a job site no longer presents the possibility of damage, sections running the entire length of the roof eaves eliminate seams. The coils of metal used to form these sections come in an assortment of colors and never require painting.

Puncturing the front of a seamless gutter somewhat affects the primary benefit of a gutter with no seams, so hidden hangers have supplanted the older spike and ferrule system, a giant nail that went through both sides of the gutter. This type often tended to pull out after time. Hidden hangers do not penetrate the front of the gutter and installers use long screws, preferably in the ends of rafters where they can offer the strongest hold.

Replacing gutters during the process of replacing a roof offers a logical time to undertake this project, but it is not mandatory.

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